I hesitate to call the article that is the subject of this post “news” - because much of it is malarkey.
I’m obviously not a doctor (I’ve been assured the “doctorate” portion of my juris doctorate does not entitle me to use the moniker “Dr.”).
I always read articles such as the following which came up on my Google feed today to see what they say about keto: https://www.eatingwell.com/article/2055096/7-things-you-shouldnt-do-on-a-low-carb-diet-according-to-dietitians/.
Now, this article was written by a freelance journalist, quotes a couple registered dietitians, and was reviewed by another registered dietitian. I’m not sure that counts as “according to Dietitians” (at least the three of them consulted) but that’s more nitpicky than I need to be to critique this article.
The article gets off to a bad start with an off-the-cuff remark about weight loss: “while a low-carb eating pattern might help some people lose weight (at least in the beginning) there are certain things you should make sure you’re doing to maintain as healthy of a diet as possible while cutting down on carbs.”
At least in the beginning? Yes, when I began a keto diet in May 2019, I rapidly lost significant water weight, as most people do. As I sit here today, in March 2022, I am approximately 50 lbs lighter than my heaviest weight. Now I suppose if I continue to eat keto for the rest of my life, then I am “in the beginning” of keto, but I don’t think that’s what they meant. In addition to the weight, I’ve lost nearly 10 inches from my waist, and kept it off. Also, my HDL cholesterol increased, LDL decreased, and Triglycerides plummeted.
Moving on - “When you reduce your intake of carbs, you might also end up cutting out fiber . . . and other important nutrients.” Well there’s a conclusory statement without citation to evidence. Is fiber an “important nutrient?” I think it’s fair to debate, but for me my answer is no. What other “important nutrients” are we missing out on? The article never says. They just want to set the stage for the scary, dangerous keto diet.
Now onto the actual 7 “tips” the article lists.
- “Don’t Skimp on Veggies.”
I generally agree with their paragraph (except another throwaway take on fiber) for anyone not eating carnivore. I often reflect on the fact I eat far more veggies now than in my Standard American Diet (SAD) days.
- “Don’t Fear Fruit.”
The title is somewhat nonsense. Yes, avocados are pretty much free on keto, and I don’t “fear” tomatoes or berries, but I also am cognizant of the fact that 20 carbs go really quickly when eating those items. But peaches? One small peach has about 12 grams of carb to only about 2 grams of fiber. Sure, if I’ve had little to no carb all day and I want to indulge in a high carb fruit, a ripe peach might sound great. To the article’s credit, is says these items can be “budgeted”. But I’d rather budget for a craft beer than a peach.
- “Don’t Use It as an Excuse to Skip Your Workout.”
I think exercise is good for a lot of things. For me, didn’t do anything in the weight loss department. Again, lots of debate on exercise and weight loss, but I made no changes in my activity level when I started eating keto, and the weight came off.
I especially take issue with this bit: “If you’re so focused on your diet that fitness goes to the wayside, or if you don’t have enough energy due to lowering carbohydrate intake too much, it may be time to assess if the diet is working for you.”
Never, not once, have I felt that I “don’t have enough energy” eating keto, and what is their support for the conclusion any lack of energy is based on lowering carb? Again - lots of discussion and studies out there about carbs and exercise, and specifically for elite athletes, but if eating a well-formulated keto diet that includes sufficient water and salt, then I don’t think energy level will be an issue. Hasn’t been for me, anyway.
- “Don’t Be Too Restrictive.”
Now they’re going off the rails. “Many popular comfort foods have carbs (think pasta, pizza, baked goods, desserts and more), and if you’re too strict about your carb intake, you might feel like you’re missing out on all your favorite treats. This can cause you to give up out of frustration or lead to binging.”
Okay, so this can be true, but what’s their suggestion to avoid this scenario? Find or make keto replacements for those “popular comfort foods”? Nah, just give up! “If you’re feeling hungry, hangry or deprived on a low-carb (or any) diet, it’s likely not sustainable and not a good quality of life.”
It’s not about being “too strict” on the carb intake, it’s about being “too narrow” on the types of food you eat. I like bacon and eggs as much as the next keto-er, but I couldn’t eat them 3 times a day for the rest of my life. Tons of keto recipes out there to satisfy any “comfort food” cravings. Also, the only time I feel “hangry” nowadays is the day after I consume more carbs than normal.
- “Don’t Eat Too Much Bacon.”
All semblance of unbiased advice is now gone. “Especially with super restrictive high-fat, low-carb diets, like keto, it’s often assumed that you can dig into fatty, greasy bacon as much as you like.”
Okay, so now we’re “super restrictive” and eat “fatty, greasy bacon” (like that’s a bad thing?) You know what I find “super restrictive”? Low-fat, low calorie diets with pale, tasteless chicken breasts and sad, steamed vegetables.
Is the fat from an avocado “healthier” than the fat from bacon? I dunno, maybe, let’s get a randomized control study going on that. I’ll volunteer for either group. Granted, some types of bacon have cleaner ingredients than others, but I don’t think many people are eating bacon “for every meal, every day”. I think they’re conflating concerns about fat with concerns about processed meats, in general. But hey, at least they correctly identified that some cured bacons have sneaky sugar.
Then they go off the deep end: “Include plenty of plant-based oils like olive oil and canola oil . . . Opt for leaner cuts of protein, seafood that delivers heart-healthy omega-3 fats (like salmon) and plant-based protein sources, like tofu, tempeh, beans and lentils.” Where to start…
(a) Aside from olive oil and avocado oil, many ketoers I know stay away from plant oils. Also, we all ignore, dietitians in particular, that olive oil doesn’t have a great omega 3:6 ratio - why do we make such a big deal about the omega ratio when it comes to meats but not oils?
(b) Lean protein is not conducive to a well-formulated keto diet. It’s also comical that in a single sentence they go from encouraging lean protein to recommending salmon.
(c ) Most of the plant-based protein sources they list are not low carb.
So yeah, we start with “don’t eat too much bacon” and end with “eat non-keto things”.
- “Don’t Forget to Drink Water”
Agree that hydration is important - but it’s sad they don’t bother to mention salt or other electrolytes and their importance in hydration. This part is also nonsense: “When you’re reducing your carb intake, you’re also at a greater risk for dehydration because your body holds on to less water and is trying to pee out ketones.”
“Trying to pee out ketones”? Sure, in early keto adaptation the body spills ketones into the urine, but your body isn’t “trying” to do this. The phrasing makes it sound like ketones are some nefarious thing your body is desperately trying to rid itself of - to the point it’s willing to dehydrate yourself! Once fat adapted there are little to no ketones in the urine.
Also, they suggest you consume watermelon and citrus to stay hydrated…neither of which is low carb.
- “Don’t Give Up All Starchy Veggies”.
Well, they might as well have just called it “don’t eat keto”.
“You often hear ‘I can’t have starchy vegetables because it has too many grams of carbs’,” says Evans. But you can still follow a low-carb diet without giving them up completely. Including some starchy vegetables and fruit means you’ll be getting more of those important nutrients that you might miss out on when cutting out too many carbs."
What are these mysterious “important nutrients” I’m missing out on? How can you cut out “too many carbs” when everyone seemingly agrees that “The lower limit of dietary carbohydrate compatible with life apparently is zero, provided that adequate amounts of protein and fat are consumed.” Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Amino Acids (2005).
I think generally someone eating keto shouldn’t regularly include high carb items as a practice - and we’re certainly not “missing out on important nutrients” by skipping them. Don’t get me wrong, I allow myself to occasionally eat high carb vegetables, drink high carb beers, and even indulge in the occasional full sugar sweet. It works for me without complete derailing my eating, but that varies for each individual. I also always feel negative effects on my body when I eat too many carbs (nausea, bloating, lethargy, aching joints).
So I did what I always do with this type of article, and flagged it as “misleading”. It’s pretty clear the author and/or dietitians interviewed don’t agree with the keto lifestyle, and maybe don’t even understand it.
But low-cal isn’t for many people, not even for a short time.